Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck and his fancy new rugs

Ben Affleck is definitely richer than you. He dropped $220k on antique rugs last week in Istanbul. Sabah English says:

Famous American actor Ben Affleck came to Istanbul at the start of the week and then departed after offering a revival in retail for the Grand Bazaar. According to Hakan Evin, the owner of the Imperio Otomano store, four of the rugs Affleck purchased are 100-year old antique rugs, while one is 40-years old and the other new. Evin described the rugs purchased as being a 40-year-old Hereke rug, a rug from Kayseri and three Persian rugs over 100-years old, one Melair, one Kum and one Heris rug and the other 100-year-old antique rug was from Uşak.

Evin said that Ben Affleck bargained well for the 220,000 dollars worth of rugs and would not release any information as to how low he went on the price, but simply stated; "we gave him a good discount." Affleck paid for the carpets with his credit card and is having them sent to his home in Los Angeles, California within the week.

According to Evin, he would have given Ben a discount larger than 5%, but one time he saw Gigli. *rimshot*

*5 Ben Affleck pictures total in the gallery:

Paparazzi photos from Thursday, January 6

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, and their daughter Violet at Menchie's Frozen Yoogurt in Santa Monica (pics start here)

Kanye West getting into his Maybach in New York (pics start here)

English singer Eliza Doolittle in Barbados (pics start here)

Kylie Kardashian at the 2011 People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles (pics start here)

Australian actress Sarah Murdoch leaving a gym in Sydney (pics start here)

Donnie Wahlberg and actress Jennifer Esposito on the set of Blue Bloods in Manhattain (pics start here)

Gordon Ramsay leaving The London West Hollywood Hotel (pics start here)

Gayle King at The Grove in Hollywood (pics start here)

Gwen Stefani and her son Zuma Rossdale at Coldwater Canyon Park in Beverly Hills (pics start here)

Dr. Dre leaving a gym in West Hollywood (pics start here)

Chace Crawford and Tika Sumpter filming Gossip Girl in NYC (pics start here)

Deena Nicole Cortese appearing on Good Morning America in New York to promote Jersey Shore (pics start here)

Actress Mahaley Hessam at the 2011 People's Choice Awards at Nokia Theatre in L.A. (pics start here)

*116 paparazzi pictures total in the gallery:

Ben Affleck is a menace

Ben Affleck was pulled over for speeding last week in Santa Monica. He tried to act like he was contrite and apologetic but, you know, we're talking about Ben Affleck here. He got the ticket.

*6 Ben Affleck pictures total in the gallery:

Ben Affleck at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT (1/23)

In August of 2001, after Ben Affleck checked himself into the Promises rehab facility in Malibu, his spokesman said this:

"Ben is a self-aware and smart man who had decided that a fuller life awaits him without alcohol. He has chosen to seek out professional assistance, and is committed to traveling a healthier road with the support of his family, friends and fans."

And on Wednesday, RadarOnline said this:

Affleck was seen drinking vodka at a Sundance Film Festival party this past weekend. At the party for his new movie [The Company Men], Affleck “immediately sat down at a VIP table and grabbed the bottle of Absolut in front of him and poured a drink," a source told RadarOnline.com.

Publicists, staffers and others were stunned because they know that Affleck is an admitted alcoholic. They got rid of all the photographers near the area to protect Affleck.

Can you really blame Ben for hitting the bottle? He hasn't starred in a relevant movie in years. The only time he ever gets any press these days is when a recently released film is so bad it's compared to Gigli. Now I'm not saying getting plastered is the right way overcome your problems . . . but there's a good chance he finally realized that crappy vodka is the only way he won't notice his wife's hideously deformed pinky toe (click here).

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner in venice last year

Jennifer Garner has turned to sex counseling in an attempt to save her marriage with Ben Affleck. The actress has been seen with famed sex therapist Dr. Holly Hein -- author of the bestselling book More BJs You Idiot -- several times in the past month . . . OK, I might have made that book title up. A source told Star:

"Jennifer has had some ups and downs with Ben, and she likes to check in with Dr. Hein once in a while . . . Ben’s great, but he can be very insecure. He likes Jen to play the devoted wife all the time. Jennifer doesn’t want to lose him. She’s in this for the long haul."

The best way for Ben and Jen to keep their romance alive: roleplaying. Jen should pretend she's still attractive and Ben should make believe he still has a career. Also, she should wear socks when they bang. That freaky toe is sure to kill any guy's wood. Finally, if Jen really wants her relationship with Ben to work, there's always one thing she can do that's sure to turn Ben on: Dress up like Matt Damon.

Ben Affleck leaving the Renaissance hotel in Washington D.C. (1/18)

He's now a zombie :(